Jewish Professions in the Roman Empire

Abstract

As is well known in modern western societies, certain professions and trades have attracted inordinately large numbers of Jews. As is also well  known, in medieval Christian Europe Jews were allowed to pursue only a limited number of occupations. In antiquity, however, Jews did not segregate themselves, and were not segregated by general society, in their occupations. Th e economic profi le of the Jews of antiquity seems to have been identical to that of their gentile neighbors, whether in the diaspora or in the land of Israel. Jews in Rome were widely reputed to be beggars, but no ancient source suggests that all beggars were Jews or that all Jews were beggars. Jews perhaps abstained from certain occupations that would have brought them into contact with the gods and religious ceremonies of the gentiles, but, as far as is known, they did not concentrate in particular professions or devote themselves to particular trades. Th ere were no „Jewish” occupations in antiquity.